2022/23 = Best Season In Mariners History?

[LFCMariners]

There was no Premiership this season but plenty of other boxes ticked:

- Regularly put big scores on capable teams and out-played them to underline the score

- Beat WSW 3-0 in Parramatta

- Took our biggest away contingent in years up to Newcastle- possibly ever- and made it sound like a CCM home game

- Officially knocked the Jets out of finals contention- again.

- Won The Concrete

- Sold out Gosford for the prelim vs Adelaide, and rose to the occasion to seal the first GF appearance in a decade

- Amazing support at the GF (see GF match day post), felt and sounded like a CCM home game, but with the advantage of the acoustics in a modern stadium that’s undercover and with stands all close to the pitch. Felt like a European/ South American cup final

- Dominated the GF, most dominant performance against 11 men in A League GF history. Dominated on and off the pitch.

2022/23 season = greatest in Mariners history. Change my mind.

 

[Ironbark]

There was no Premiership this season but plenty of other boxes ticked:

- Regularly put big scores on capable teams and out-played them to underline the score

- Beat WSW 3-0 in Parramatta

- Took our biggest away contingent in years up to Newcastle- possibly ever- and made it sound like a CCM home game

- Officially knocked the Jets out of finals contention- again.

- Sold out Gosford for the prelim vs Adelaide, and rose to the occasion to seal the first GF appearance in a decade

- Amazing support at the GF (see GF match day post), felt and sounded like a CCM home game, but with the advantage of the acoustics in a modern stadium that’s undercover and with stands all close to the pitch. Felt like a European/ South American cup final

- Dominated the GF, most dominant performance against 11 men in A League GF history. Dominated on and off the pitch.

2022/23 season = greatest in Mariners history. Change my mind.

I'll hang my hat on that.

Add:
Most ever goals scored in a season.

Most youth minutes / own academy product minutes

 

[tauko]

Regardless, it will be the best season (so far) to everyone who was too young to remember 2013. And for fans like me who only started the club following in 2014/15 - and have only ever experienced the dry spell.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

The first season was wonderful to set the tone.
The 2013 GF win was quality and put to bed the bridesmaids but never the bride or chokers talk.
This season was by far the best it was built by belief and is what this Club is all about, it was so inclusive and was even more unexpected at the start of the season (except by a few optimistic believers) and it was so much a community win, not just in talk but in fact.
Simply the best.
Soak it up, you will not see its like again.

 

[Big Dog]

Hopefully will transfer to memberships next season

 

[Tassiemariner]

2012/13 will always be my favourite season. The on-field success and the calibre of players in our squad, plus off-field personal life experiences that happened around that time, will always make that year special.

In terms of on-field play, youth development, and overall narrative, I would rank this season is the best. Prior to 12/13, there was a consistent period of sustained success, or at least only short term periods without. The potential relegation and closure of the club that was being seriously talked of just 4 years ago was barely considered a possibility in 2013, even though we had many ownership-related chats and talk of Russian takeovers and whatever other nonsense that is now resigned to this archives of this forum.

Hopefully this time we can capitalise on the success and continue to build for the future.

 

[Josho Howe]

The best for sure. We had absolutely no right winning a Championship this season. All of the great wins we had over more fancied opposition and to finish by putting 6 goals on a billionaire backed club with Socceroos and the highest goal scorer in the league's history barely having a touch against a 20 year old and a Vanuatan who'd never played professional football before this season.

Again, we won the game coz we were simply better and wanted it more. We made it happen. City expected it to happen.

 

[dlanod]

2012/2013 was magic but we'd been successful more often than not in the lead-up.

This year is better simply because of the sheer awfulness we have recovered from to top the league. We never had to come back from the bottom of the bottom to reach the top last time.

 

[gemkayem]

For mine, yes absolutely. We did it with juniors and nobodies and rejects and we proved them all wrong. We are the Coast and this is how we play football. Incredible

 

[Insertnamehere]

I think that our coach and support staff have shown that they matter more than the absolute quality of players in the team.

Hard to argue that guys like Storm didn't play above their lot this year and the young guys came ahead in leaps and bounds.

 

[Michael]

Simply the best, better than all the rest



Or something

 

[Mini In Bay 6]

I'm too old to remember things any more.

So I will say yes. 12/13 isn't far behind, and Season 1 because of the nature of that time and team.

Then a couple of others seasons which were very good in hindsight, then some "eh" seasons, then we dive straight to the Marianas Trench bypassing poor completely.

The thing about darkness is you need it to see the light by. So we must be light sensitive now for miles.

 

[marinermick]

For me winning the premiership carries more weight rather than a one off game. This season we were off that first place by eleven points.

Season three we won the premiership because a couple of teams fell over in the final round but we were still the best team all season. We were then robbed by the Judas handball in the grand final.

12/13 we should have won the premiership but our senior players didn’t step up to take a penalty in one of the final rounds game against WSW. They left a poor kid in Matt Ryan to do it and he missed. We should have be e won the premiership that night, and then won the grand final comfortably.

That season performance with the grand final win elevates the 12/13 side for me, then season three, then this season.

 

[Ironbark]

This season we were chasing first with 3 points in it at one point. Then we copped multiple first team players out (tournament, red cards with multi-match suspensions and second yellows, and several injuries) and slumped for a bit.
It is the difference between our budget this season and that of 12/13, we just didn't have the depth to cover those kind of losses and we only won once in like 7 games or something. I'm sure we could/should have won a couple of these too but for luck.
Despite this we still came second, then went on to one of the most impressive finals runs and Championship wins in ALeague history. I personally feel this was playing better and more entertaining football than 12/13 too.
That kind of resilience and belief, and the sheer majesty of the result carries this season over the line as my favourite as well.
Added - we haven't dug ourselves a black hole to fall into to do it this time. Instead we've built a foundation for ongoing success next season.
Pretty bloody epic all round.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

For me winning the premiership carries more weight rather than a one off game. This season we were off that first place by eleven points.

Season three we won the premiership because a couple of teams fell over in the final round but we were still the best team all season. We were then robbed by the Judas handball in the grand final.

12/13 we should have won the premiership but our senior players didn’t step up to take a penalty in one of the final rounds game against WSW. They left a poor kid in Matt Ryan to do it and he missed. We should have be e won the premiership that night, and then won the grand final comfortably.

That season performance with the grand final win elevates the 12/13 side for me, then season three, then this season.

Statistically, and for consistency you are clearly correct, but for connecting with the fans/community and for pure emotion this season wins hands down.
And isn't football all about emotion?

 

[marinermick]

Statistically, and for consistency you are clearly correct, but for connecting with the fans/community and for pure emotion this season wins hands down.
And isn't football all about emotion?

Then you make a case for season one then. Anyone who was in Adelaide for that finals game would know what I am talking about.

 

[LFCMariners]

During the 2012/13 season I lived interstate, so only went to a handful of games that season and missed the GF. This time around, and watching that ‘We Are The Champions’ clip, there are so many games where I recall being there and seeing it happen in real-time, as opposed to watching it on a screen. On top of that, I feel our community (and active) support this season edges what it was in the early 2010’s, indeed maybe even surpasses what it was between 2005-08- and I had wondered if those days would ever return?

 

[FFC Mariner]

This season over 2013 for the simple reason that we play football I want to watch.
Arnies teams dont

 

[LG__]

I think this is our greatest ever season simply given where our squad has come from,

Vuka : Club legend who returns home at 38 to captain the youngest squad in the league to the championship.
McGarry : Unwanted by our biggest rivals
Kaltak : 29 year old who had never played professionally
Triantis : Youngster who couldn’t get a look in where he was
Roux : Many fans were rather hesitant about his return
Nisbet : Smallest player in the league, written off by nearly all, Academy graduate
Balard : Academy Graduate
Beni : An unknown gem from the French third tier
Silvera : A youngster who we gave his first chance, then unwanted by our biggest rivals
Tulio : An unknown gem from the Brazilian third tier
Cummings : A player who’s career was in complete free fall
Farrell : Academy Graduate
Steele : Academy Graduate
Hall : Academy Graduate
Kuzevski: Academy Graduate
Theoharous : Unwanted by his old side, on the verge of quitting the professional game
Moresche : Scores the last goal in the grand final after rupturing his ACL right before finals last year.


I struggle to see how any A League championship side will ever match this squad in regards to this.

Simply incredible.

 

[dlanod]

It's worth noting on top of that that four of them left and returned - they knew what we're about and decided they could go more of that. It's quite the endorsement too.